Discoveries illuminate origins of civilization

The latest archaeological efforts in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan province, are shedding light on the studies of the origins of the Chinese civilization, Gu Wanfa, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress, who is also head of Zhengzhou's cultural heritage bureau, said on the sidelines of the recently concluded two sessions.

Excavations at the Shuanghuaishu Site in Gongyi unearthed the remnants of a sprawling city that traces its origins to the middle and late stages of the Yangshao Culture, a Neolithic culture dating back 4,600 to 7,000 years across the northern part of China.

Gu, who was former head of Shuanghuaishu's archaeological team, says human bone analysis reveals that most of the males were from the area, but many of the females displayed a diversity of genes, suggesting they came from other areas. This suggests that marriages in Shuanghuaishu were mostly between local men and women from elsewhere.